A previous rendering of the Sheetz that’s planned for the Staples Mill Road site across from the train station. (BizSense file)
A plan to put a Sheetz and other commercial development across from the Amtrak station on Staples Mill Road has been tweaked and expanded with a residential component since it was first proposed this time last year.
Local developer Rebkee Co. has filed a revised plan with Henrico County that adds up to 14 townhomes beside the commercial development it’s been pursuing for an undeveloped tract across from the train station.
It’s also tweaked its previous plan to include two more parking spaces for the Sheetz, a smaller drive-thru for a separate commercial building and fencing and vegetative buffers between the site and adjacent commercial development and residential neighborhoods.
The biggest change is the addition of the townhomes, which would fill a southern portion of the largely county-owned site that was not included in the original plan. The two-story townhomes would be grouped in three buildings and line an existing retail strip fronting Crockett Street, behind the Verizon Center strip that fronts Staples Mill Road.
The rest of the proposal remains largely the same, with a 6,100-square-foot Sheetz convenience store with a gas station and car wash at the north end of the site, and a 3,000-square-foot commercial building with drive-thru between the Sheetz and the townhomes. Plans show the drive-thru has been reduced from two lanes to one.
An updated layout shows the 14 townhomes added to the project site. (County documents)
The Sheetz and commercial building, which according to a county planning report would house an unnamed restaurant user, would operate 24 hours a day, while the carwash would be restricted to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The 24-hour business operations require a provisional-use permit, which Rebkee is applying for along with a rezoning for the overall site, which now totals 10.25 acres, up from 8.7 last year.
Both requests are scheduled to go to the county Planning Commission at its Nov. 9 meeting. The original proposals were deferred by the commission last year and by the applicant last November and in July. Community meetings were held exactly one year apart: on Oct. 3, 2022, and Oct. 3, 2023.
The deferrals allowed time for Rebkee to address concerns shared at the meetings, including noise and light impacts on the adjacent Glenside Woods townhomes. The revised plan more clearly shows a planned preservation area that would separate Glenside Woods from the commercial development, along with additional tree plantings and a stormwater retention pond beside the carwash.
The bulk of the site is owned by Henrico’s Economic Development Authority, which was given the land by the county after it purchased it in 2017 for $695,000. Rebkee has agreed to pay $750,000 for the parcel at 7500 Staples Mill Road, which includes the portion where the townhomes are planned.
A rendering of the planned townhomes.
The overall site also includes a smaller, privately owned parcel that runs along the north side and connects with Balmoral Avenue. Rebkee purchased that parcel in September for $12,000. It was assessed by the county at $9,700, while the larger EDA-owned parcel remains assessed at just under $195,000.
While acknowledging the proximity and potential impacts to the existing townhomes, county planners say the development would be appropriate at the site, which is in an enterprise zone and is part of a so-called opportunity area that the county has established to encourage revitalization and reinvestment along the Staples Mill Road corridor.
The overall development would now include 73 parking spaces, including the two added spaces. In addition to an entrance at the traffic signal aligned with the train station entrance, access to the site would also be provided via an entrance to a CVS store to the north.
Rebkee is working on the project with engineering firm Kimley-Horn, which drew up the plans. Local attorney Andy Condlin with Roth Jackson Gibbons Condlin is representing Rebkee in its requests to the county.
Reached Monday, Rebkee principal Dan Hargett said the revised plan aims to address concerns they have heard over the past year.
“Andy Condlin’s worked overtime on our behalf to help us work with the neighbors and try to listen to their concerns, and that’s what we’re trying to address,” Hargett said.
The Richmond-based firm developed another Sheetz at Regency as part of its work with Thalhimer Realty Partners to transform the mall into a mixed-use development. Rebkee also is redeveloping the former Virginia Center Commons mall with Shamin Hotels.
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